


New Year's Fair

by CheifHijinks



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, An off hand AU idea, Author!Gabriel, Fluff, Jack takes gabriel to the fair, Just cute couple stuff, Just wanted some sweet stuff for a break, Kisses, M/M, Meta talk cause the author thinks they're clever, Older Gabriel, Writer AU(?), age gap, dad!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 02:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11118285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheifHijinks/pseuds/CheifHijinks
Summary: After a long year of trying to meet deadlines, Gabriel finally has some time off to himself. What he thought would be a nice, relaxing couple days turned into something more when Jack surprises him with a trip to the fair.





	New Year's Fair

**Author's Note:**

> This is been distracting me lately and suddenly another AU just cropped up. That's still in planning though. A nice break from the other works with a cute date. Also not sure why the date is on New Years. 
> 
> ( u v u ) 
> 
> ****In this AU, Author!Gabriel wrote 'The Reaper'. Originally, his editor was Ana until she had Jack take over. After working together, Jack wanted a bit more and Gabriel was just surprised he was interested at all.

"Is that?" Gabriel rubbed the sleep from his eye, sitting up from the passenger's' seat.

"Morning," Jack replied, somehow awake, though the empty cups of coffee sure explained how. "I was gonna wake you when we parked."

"Jack," he grew concerned as Jack followed the directions from a neon vest. He pulled the car into a slot on the frosted grass, filling in the neat rows of other cars in the lot.

"Yep," the blond stopped the car, exiting with a chipper smile. "We're here."

Gabriel stepped out, onto the crunching grass, already missing the warm heater of the car.

"And, Ta-da!" Jack gestured enthusiastically to the entrance of the fair. 

"You wake me up at the ass crack of dawn and drive two hours for a fair?" Gabriel stared at the gaudy welcome sign. 

"Aw, come on, Gabe. Lighten up," Jack deflated a bit but kept a light smile on his face. "The fair's fun. Sides, there's a fireworks show tonight."

"Oh, great, that means we're staying all day," Gabriel shoved his hands in his pockets. Who the fuck makes a fair in the middle of goddamn winter? Let alone for New Year's.

"It'll be fun," Jack walked by his side, fishing the tickets from his pocket. Already, the cold was taking effect, making his cheeks red and his skin seem paler. In the back of his mind, the rosy picture just reminded Gabriel about the age gap between them. 

"Aren't we kind of old for a fair?" he tried to argue, following Jack to the gate.

"You're never too old for it," he didn't miss a beat.

Gabriel rolled his eyes as they got in line. A small crowd was ahead of them consisting mostly of families and young couples. From inside, he could hear screams from the attractions and faint notes of music. All of it came a cacophony of noise to his sleep-deprived mind. (The nap in the car couldn't even be considered a nap.)

After deadlines, he'd much rather be at home relaxing. It'd be quiet. He could just sit on the couch and zone out to some TV without having to think of anything.

Though, he'd be alone.

With Jesse gone and Sombra staying at the dorms, he would've been alone tonight. Even Ana texted him that she had other plans. If Jack hadn't called then he'd just be stuck doing the same thing every year, just drinking alone with the countdown on in the background.

They moved up in the line. Jack handed the employee their tickets who thanked them and handed back a map. The blond took it readily, walking inside a couple steps to wait for him.  
He was all starry-eyed, examining the attractions, looking between the map and the fair grounds, trying to decide what to do first. Gabriel watched him with a small smile.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. 

It took a moment for Jack to realize he stopped. The blond drew a flat line, walking up to him. He had that kicked puppy look.

"If you really want to go, I'll drive you back," he offered. "I just thought, the fair was pretty fun, especially if you go with other people. And since you said you haven't been to this one-but, no it's okay. I get it if you don't-I shouldn't have-."

"I want to get some cotton candy."

Jack stopped, blue eyes wide,"What?"

"It's a fair,right? I always get some cotton candy."

Jack smiled again, with a small laugh,"Yeah, sure. Haven't really eaten anything yet anyway so."

The fair was pretty crowded, with people milling about the attractions and the outdoor shops. They both looked around, picking out which rides to go on first while heading for the food stands.

"You're really gonna eat that much sugar this early?" Jack remarked when they sat down.

"Says the guy who drank three cups of coffee," Gabriel bit into the fluffy confection.

"I just drove for two hours, unlike someone who snores like a bear."

"I wasn't the one who wanted to leave at fucking 6 am."

Jack rolled his eyes and put the map on the table. 

Gabriel huffed as he looked around, the noise of the crowd already starting to get on his nerves again. "Then how bout some rides?"

"You want to run the gauntlet?," a twinkle of mischief entered those blue eyes. "Though it's probably not for someone of your _advanced_ age."

"Oh, really?" Gabriel smirked," _Try me, boy scout._ "

And the gauntlet it was. 

Jack toured around the fair for the fastest rides: first going for the ship that went upside-down, then the scrambler, a suspiciously small coaster with a loop that ran forwards and backwards, and finishing up with the tilt a whirl. The lines weren't too long, allowing them to ride a couple times actually. Well, Jack usually rode more than once, except for the one ride where Gabriel got his belt stuck. For most of it, they both screamed and laughed until one particular spin left Gabriel without his breakfast.

Why did he let Jack talk him into this?

Gabriel sat on one of the benches, head in his hands as he tried to will the world to stop spinning. He covered his mouth, feeling the bile try to rise up but swallowed it back down. His head hurt as it tried to reorient itself while his body felt numb, like it was floating from being knocked around on those rides.

"You okay?" tiredly, he looked up to Jack who held a concerned gaze.

"Yeah," he grunted, leaning back against the bench. He looked towards the sky, watching the puffs of his breath in the cold air. One thing was for sure: he wasn't cold anymore. Jack sat besides him, clearly unaffected by the rides. His face was red from the cold and adrenaline, making his skin look paler and his eyes bluer, if that made sense.

"Here," Jack handed him a bottle of water and some aspirin. "Always carry some for the headaches."

Gabriel muttered a thanks, downing the medicine with the water.

"I'll be right back," Jack stood with a small smile.

Gabriel nodded in response, watching the blond blend into the crowd. At least the cold air felt nice. It was different to be out during the winter. The crunch of the frosted grass and chill in he air a welcome change, but nothing could replace the heater at home. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Jack return with a big grin.

"You gotta try this," he sat down holding a plate of-

"I had funnel cakes earlier," he remarked but Jack smirked in return.

"They're red velvet, and I got some ice cream with it."

"It's fucking below twenty. Why are you eating ice cream?"

"Hard to find good homemade vanilla," Jack dumped the container on the cakes. The ice cream melted down contact and steam rose from the plate. The baked smell made his stomach rumble despite having just puked his guts a minute ago. Jack handed him a fork. "Just try it."

Gabriel dug into the confection, feeling his teeth rot with how sweet it was. But that was the point and after a couple bites, he started feeling better. Jack moved closer, napkins and his own fork in hand, and cut into the cake gleefully with every bite. At the last piece, Jack tried to deflect his plastic fork, but he managed the snatch it from him. 

"You already ate most of it," Jack glared at him. " _Fork it over Gabe_."

Gabriel scoffed, "Just for that, hell no, Jackie."

He laughed triumphantly before having the damn piece stolen. Jack sat back as he slipped off his fork, a smug grin on his face.

"Victory is sweet," a pert tongue licked the cream from his lips. Briefly his mouth went dry before he remembered how long he'd been staring. 

"Cheater," Gabriel tossed his fork onto the the empty plate. Jack tossed it into the trash and leaned back. 

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Sure," Jack smiled at him softly. The blond inched closer to him, their shoulders touching. He didn't look over, opting for side glances every so often under the guise of people watching. Gabriel tried to hide his smirk when he met his gaze and Jack turned away.

"Hey, Jack," when he turned, Gabriel reached out to cradle the side of his face. Blue eyes went wide as he flushed, cheeks even redder combined with the cold. A bit of pride bloomed in his chest at the sight. To think that he could still affect someone like this, let alone someone like Jack? A couple months ago, he wouldn't have believed it. Though, a couple months ago, he was still self barricaded in his office trying to avoid Ana's nagging about deadlines and having a fight with his son. The idea of having free time to do anything else was non-existent.

"Missed some sugar," he remarked, aimlessly rubbing his thumb on Jack's cheek. He flushed even brighter.

"Thanks," Jack whispered when Gabriel withdrew. He didn't meet his eyes again, looking around at the other attractions. His puffs came more frequently and even his ears were red.

Cute.

"You still cold?" he finally said. "They were selling some hot coffee too."

"No, I'm good," Gabriel checked the time for the fireworks show before standing, dusting the powdered sugar from his pants. "We still got some time to kill. What else do you want to do?"

Jack stood next to him, a small smile on his face.

"Let's do that one," he pointed to the gaudy entrance of the haunted house. The line was short to nonexistent as bored employees manned the counter.

"Really?" Gabriel looked at him. "Never pegged you for a haunted house kind of guy."

"We've been on most of the good rides already, and these are usually fun. What about you?"

"Been to quite a few. Sombra always dragged us just to watch Jesse squirm."

"Oh, so you've seen too many?" Jack deflated at that.

Gabriel glanced at the entrance again, "If you wanna go, I'll bite. Haven't been to this one before."

Jack lit up at his words and they headed for the entrance. After they paid, the door opened to some melodramatic music and a cheesy announcer to guide them. Gabriel stepped inside with Jack in tow. 

The narrow corridor made them stand closer to each other. The place was decorated with your average affair with fake cobwebs and black cloth. The low lighting and falsely broken walls really made the atmosphere. Their footsteps echoed in the hall as they passed creepily painted objects. Jack tended to move closer at his side as the path narrowed, bumping into Gabriel's arm. Every so often, they brushed against each other, usually a shoulder, sometimes their hands. Jack would retreat each time but they bumped way too many times to be simple coincidence. 

As they turned the corner, Gabriel spotted the wire and shook his head, stopping. Jack didn't notice and stepped forward, triggering the scare. A ghoul dropped from the ceiling, accompanied by a piercing wail. Jack actually pulled back, running into Gabriel and grabbing the front of his coat.

"So you actually fall for this stuff," he mused, helping the blond right himself. 

"Just surprised me," Jack excused, squaring his shoulders, as the two maneuvered around the prop.

Scares of similar caliber kept coming, usually some prop with a loud sound. At every twitch, Jack flinched and tried to retreat, usually running into Gabriel who rolled his eyes. 

"Just come here Jackie," Gabriel grabbed his hand, pulling the blond behind him. "Keep running into me like that and we're both gonna fall."

Jack muttered something in mild protest but held his hand tightly. The rooms started to become dark as floor lights lit their path in the guise of wisps. After a horrendous shriek did Gabriel just want to hurry up and get out already.

"Hey," Jack called in the darkness.

"You okay?" Gabriel tried to look behind him, but saw nothing.

"Yeah."

With another recorded shriek, Jack jumped, letting go of Gabriel's hand before quickly finding it again.

Gabriel chuckled as they continued towards the end. They kept walking, but there was always that one final scare. He didn't really pay it any mind, too preoccupied with the hand in his. He thought Jack's hands would be around the size of his own but actually, this was more slender than he thought. Stepping into the final room, the announcer thanked them for taking a ride and hoped the group stayed together. The lights went up and Gabriel turned to Jack.

Gabriel did indeed scream loud enough for to surprise them both. The costumed ghost was also very understanding and forgiving after being socked in the face by a panicked old man. However, it did cost them both twenty each to not get banned from the park. 

Both men left, apologetic but with Jack wearing a smug grin on his face.

"So never again," Jack finally said as they sat down on a bench.

"Never again," Gabriel replied, sitting next to him, brows furrowed.

After a quick rest, they decided on looking at all the shops. Most were just little trinkets and jewelry stores. 

"Hey check this out," Jack called him over to a rack of necklaces. "They have your stuff."

Gabriel peered at the row of familiar emblems with a prideful smile. Small pendants with images of the Reaper and the Soldier were crafted onto medallions along with quotes. They weren't exactly detailed like his works but still held the similar design. A couple more shops had more fan works, much to Jack's delight in finding. With 'The Reaper' finished, it still surprised him to see how much impact the work had.

"Got any inspiration of what to do next?" Jack asked as they exited another store.

"Not too sure yet," Gabriel followed behind him, stuffing two souvenirs in his pocket. "Maybe a couple of side comics or something."

"What about a side story about that cowboy character. He's really popular with the fans."

"Maybe," Gabriel scratched his chin at the thought. 

Before he knew it, Jack had dragged him into another line. Looking up, the large ferris wheel groaned as it moved. With the sun was starting to set and the lights flickered on in multiple colors as the cars were bathed in orange light.

"Watch your step," the attendant said to them as he opened the door. 

Gabriel stepped in first, mindful of the the car's swinging. The space was already cramped but then Jack hopped in across from him. The door shut with a heavy thud and the operator loaded in the next car. They rose slowly as each one was filled. Both looked out at the view, of the fair growing smaller and the crowds of people who resembled ants.

"Hey," Gabriel started. Jack looked at him,"thanks for taking me out. It was nice."

Jack beamed at that,"Yeah, I'm glad you said yes. I honestly thought you'd try to make something up and tell me no. I mean, I heard from Ana that she was busy so I thought you and I could-I mean you’re not like a backup plan or anything-I just-."

Jack sighed, trying to reorder his words,"I'm happy you said yes, okay."

He started drumming his fingers on the seat. 

"Something else you wanna tell me?"

"Just, today and everything, well,-"

The car started to ascend smoothly now with all its patrons aboard. Jack kept interrupting his own words, ending in frustrated sighs and ramblings. He was fidgeting with a hand in his pocket. 

Gabriel raised a brow, a slow smile forming on his face,"Jack Morrison, are you trying to tell me how this is a _date_?"

Jack drew a frown, blue eyes wide, as he turned away, putting more interest in the sun setting outside.

Gabriel chuckled, which turned into a laugh.

"Don't laugh at me. It's already embarrassing," Jack turned back to him.

"No, _rubio_ , that's not why I'm laughing. It's just _cute_."

"You're just making it worse."

"Just the idea of you trying to romance an old man like this. I haven't seen something so elaborate since Jesse tried to sneak out to prom."

"So I'm guessing I failed then?" Jack frowned, the red glow of the sun masking his blush.

"I wouldn't say so," Gabriel smiled, scratching his chin. "Just surprised that you'd do this."

"Gabriel, I've told you before how serious I am."

"I know, I know. It's just gonna take some time for me to believe it. It's been a long time."

The car creaked as it came to a stop, perching them at the top of the circle, overlooking the park.

"I'm guessing you wanted to kiss at the top, right?"

Jack went silent, staring at him expectantly, "That obvious?"

Gabriel laughed again,"Need that for a perfect date, huh?" 

Before Jack could say anything, he leaned forward, pressing their lips together. It wasn't anything too special, just a simple touch. Jack's lips were soft and the contact only lasted a mere second before Gabriel pulled back, but to see those blue eyes slowly open while still leaned forward made him want to dip in again. However, the car started to swing again as it moved, lowering them towards the ground. Jack didn't look at him, a small smile on his lips, partially covered by his hand. The tips of his ears were red.

_Well isn't he fucked._

They left quickly, with Gabriel grabbing Jack's hand to lead him through the crowd. Jack had pointed out a hill that was the best viewing spot for the fireworks earlier. It didn’t take them long to get there. 

“Gabriel,” Jack called when they finally stopped. “You okay?”

The older man stopped, trying to catch his breath. The incline more than anticipated, he leaned against a tree, staring up at the darkening sky. He muttered a ‘yes’ in between breaths. The blond still looked at him with concern. Gabriel waved him off, finally relaxing. With a smile, Jack took his hand, leading him a little further on the hill, the frosted grass crunching under their steps. The whole fair was laid out under them with bright lights and the faint sound of the crowd. 

“Really is a nice view,” he remarked. 

“Yeah,” Jack was staring at him, a small smile on his lips. 

They took a seat on the grass, with Gabriel rolling his eyes when Jack offered to lay his coat on the ground. They sat close, watching the lights start to dim and the faint music cut off for the show to start. 

Jack glanced at his phone, “Ten more minutes. So, any plans for the new year?”

“Not really.”

“C’mon. No resolutions at all?”

“No. What about you?”

“Already got what I wanted this year,” Jack placed his hand over Gabriel’s, lacing their fingers together. The crowd below started the countdown. Jack joined them, smirking at the other man. With a smile of his own, he counted on from five. 

Gabriel didn’t see the bright opening flash and barely heard the crowd react to the fantastic display. He was too preoccupied with blue eyes and a joyful smile. He felt the next one though when the two leaned in for more than just a brush of the lips. Eagerly, Jack pushed forward, balling a hand in the lapel of his coat. Gabriel responded in kind, cradling the back of the blond’s neck to pull him closer. Unlike on the ferris wheel, this was deeper, sweeter, like a promise. Jack was eager to please, bolder than before, much to Gabriel’s surprise, but he wouldn’t give the younger man the advantage. Soon, they delved into an equal dance, more focused on the feeling than anything. At some point, Jack tipped them over, breaking them apart. Blue eyes stared at him innocently with a smirk. Gabriel chuckled, wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist. 

“I have a feeling this is gonna be a good year,” Jack remarked, staring down at him. 

“Me too.”


End file.
